Sydney's Story: Experiencing Disconnection

Using Relational Cultural Theory and the Listening Guide to explore the experience of a woman engineering student

Abstract

The field of engineering has been labeled the “last gender-equitable” profession in the United States (Pierrakos, Beam, Constantz, Johri, & Anderson, 2009, p. 1). Although women in engineering have been a research hot topic for decades, the field overall has made little progress in recruiting and retaining women since the mid-1990s (National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 2023). This single case study explores the co-op experience of a single woman undergraduate engineering student to better understand how relationships and connections impact women’s experiences in engineering. The Listening Guide is utilized as the method of analysis through the lens of Relational Cultural Theory.